To Become A Dragon
by Skarrow
Summary: Can Lance convince Lyra to join the Elite Four? He might make it, but he'll have to come to terms with his demons first. [Alternate Reality, Lance/Lyra, slight Lance/Karen]
1. Kicked Out

**A/N:** I do not own pokemon.

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><p><strong>To Become A Dragon - I<br>**

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><p>"Are you going to see the new Elite Four candidate tomorrow?"<p>

Lance glanced up from his papers. "Ah, hello Karen. Yes, I will try to meet her tomorrow. Her name is Lyra, and Bruno said she was quite the talented artist."

Karen perched herself on the armrest of the leather sofa, idly checking her nails. "So you won't be around for the next few days, then?"

"I hope not. Bruno also said that Lyra is 'an unpredictable brat', so I honestly couldn't tell you."

Lance was only half-heartedly focusing on the conversation. He was very close to finishing up this backlog of forms the League required him to complete and sign. It was basically a detailed report of the new and improved force-fields that would be used during the stadium battles. As the current Champion, Lance was the strongest trainer in two regions and so he'd been personally asked to participate in the test run. All that he needed to do was make sure the information was in order before submitting it to the Committee.

"I've been meaning to tell you something, Lance. Before you left tomorrow for New Bark town."

"Mmhm."

"I need to tell you this now while I still have the courage."

"Huh?" Lance frowned, having caught on to the seriousness of her tone. "What is it?"

"I have been thinking about this for a while... Lance, would you be interested in going out with me?"

"What?" Lance straightened almost immediately. He wasn't sure if he'd heard her correctly. "I'm- I'm- what did you say?"

"I... I think I may be in love with you."

Lance went completely silent, caught off-guard. Meanwhile Karen was still studying her nails with boredom, as if she didn't confess her feelings just now. He dropped his gaze to the papers in front of him.

It took a moment for her words to really sink in. Karen was in love with him? Sure, Koga and Will had helpfully implied it a few times but Lance had never put much stock in their words, thinking it was their mistake. Well, the dragon master had to admit that he had felt an attraction to her even back when they first met. Never mind the fact that she'd kicked him between the legs that time. And several times afterwards.

He shifted his gaze back to her and nearly flinched when he saw that she had stopped admiring her manicure and was staring back at him, analyzing him for his reaction. Waiting for his response.

Lance decided he would be honored, _very_ honored to have her as his woman. He greatly admired her beauty, her strength, her brea-uhh, her intelligence- ...she was everything he ever hoped for in a romantic partner.

"I'm sorry," Lance told her at last. "I appreciate your feelings... but I can't reciprocate them."

"Figured you say something like that." Karen nodded. "After all, we're on opposite sides of the train tracks."

"That's not what I meant."

She took a deep breath and smiled. "I understand. You have other people who are counting on you. It'd be tough to settle down like that."

"Isn't it the same for you?"

"True. I have to uphold my predecessor's teachings, and I plan to do this for life. Agatha may still act spry but she's still an old woman. I'll need to be prepared for whatever may happen. And you..."

"I've got someone to protect now, too. I've never met Lyra but Bruno has never asked me for any favor until now," Lance heard himself say. "I'm going to keep my promise and look out for her, especially if she's as unreliable as he describes."

Karen cracked another smile. "I don't know about that."

"Huh?"

"If Bruno respects her enough to recommend her for Elite Four, then this 'Lyra' must be a strong enough trainer and person in her own right. If I were to guess, Bruno just exaggerates her bad traits because he sees her as his own family. Like a daughter. And fathers will always see their children as kids, no matter how old they are..."

It was another one of Karen's philosophical speeches. Lance felt the knot in his gut loosen just a bit. If she could still deliver meaningful life lessons in the same manner she always had, maybe her feelings weren't hurt that bad. It gave him hope that they could continue their good working relationship.

But long after Karen had left him alone in his office, Lance found himself thinking about her offer.

* * *

><p>"...Helloooo? Can you hear me?"<p>

"..."

"Are you alive?"

"..."

"Hmph, of course you can't hear me. You're lost in your own special little world. I wonder why I even bother."

Lance violently jerked himself out of his memories of yesterday. "F-forgive me Miss Lyra, I never meant to space out!"

Lyra rested her chin on her palm. "Good grief. I thought I was talking to a human being, not a doll."

"I'm sorry," Lance tried again. "I've been out of it since yesterday."

"Being a messenger is a boring job that anyone can do. That's probably why you're not putting your heart into it, oh beloved Champion of the people." She gracefully stood up from her chair, walked to the front door and threw it open.

"Miss Lyra, wait-"

Her look of disdain didn't change. "I wish you'd have spared me from this nonsense. I could be doing more important things than entertaining the League's uninspired envoy. Goodbye, Mr. Messenger."

Lance stayed in his seat, as if stalling his departure could somehow convince her to give him a second chance. But the girl - the woman - remained firm, her arms crossed and her eyes regarding him like one would regard a disgusting thing they just stepped on. Slowly, reluctantly, Lance lifted himself out of the chair and shuffled outside at last, the door swiftly closing behind him.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. It had only been five minutes and he'd already gotten on Lyra's bad side.

_Good job, Lance. What are you going to do now?_

A tactical retreat was the only answer. Lance took a deep breath and began the short walk back to New Bark.

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><p>"How disappointing," Lyra murmured to herself as she watched the dragon tamer slink away until he disappeared into the trees.<p>

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><p>Lance stepped inside the lab and was immediately blasted from above with cold air. He never understood why these scientists needed to work in such freezing temperatures. It was so cold, his fingers were already getting stiff.<p>

One of the lab interns, Ethan, noticed Lance come in and greeted him with a smile. "I take it that your meeting with Lyra didn't go so well?"

Well, there was no point in hiding it. "She kicked me out of her house."

"Don't let it get you down! Heck, I deliver food to everyday and even I have a hard time dealing with her sometimes! Artists are just like that, you know? If you give it a few days she'll eventually come around!"

He was grateful for Ethan's kindness but he didn't need it. "No, Ethan. This is my fault."

When Lance had showed up on her doorstep, Lyra had been disgruntled at first. But when he'd introduced himself as Lance, her demeanor had changed. She'd welcomed him into her home no problem, and even had tea prepared beforehand. Like she'd been expecting him to arrive.

And then...

_"I know all about what happened. Lance the Dragon Master, heir to the Blackthorn clan. Red gave up the title of Pokemon League Champion to you. You never once beat him fair and square for it, either. And so two regions now rest on your shoulders."_

Her tone was so matter-of-fact, like the information was a trivial thing. But it wasn't trivial for Lance.

He had tried to protest, but Lyra was still talking. Her sketchbook was already open in her arms.

_"It's been so long since I've gotten a motif that made me want to draw. Champion Lance, could you tell me all about the places and events you've experienced before you were named the strongest trainer in both Kanto and Johto?"_

_"Miss Lyra, please wait! I didn't come here to talk about me-"_

Her face had immediately fell, and the expression was so dire Lance had to force himself to continue.

_"I wanted to ask you to enter the upcoming League Qualification Exams so you could be a member of the Elite Four. Your mentor, Bruno, recommended you."_

Lyra had sneered at him.

_"So you're just another lapdog yapping for the League? You don't even have time for friendly conversation?"_

_"It's not like that. I take my duties seriously, and a recommendation from an Elite even more so."_

_"...How boring."_

She'd unceremoniously dropped sketchbook on the coffee table. It had sounded so earth-shatteringly _loud_ in this tiny, quiet house in the woods. Lyra leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs.

_"Well, it doesn't look like I can give you a positive answer regarding your request. I have no interest in the League or becoming an Elite Four member. In fact, I wouldn't get within ten feet of a job like that, even with a pair of tongs."_

She'd gestured to the sketchbook that still lay open before her.

_"Buuut if you were to indulge and inspire me with tales of your past exploits, I might be more inclined to hear you out regarding your request. How about it?"_

"And then what happened?"

Ethan was fixing up the bunk bed right above his so Lance could sleep in it. Both boys were going to be staying at the lab overnight; Ethan was assigned to keep an eye on a new experiment of Em's that was in its most crucial stage, and Lance had nowhere to stay so he'd accepted the younger male's offer to stay with him in the nap room.

Lance would've preferred to use a heater but apparently the room's thermostat was wonky. Extra blankets would have to do.

"I... kind of spaced out."

"Hmm. Lyra's temper is one thing, but daydreaming in the middle of an important conversation is-"

"I know," Lance said sharply, cutting Ethan off.

Ethan merely raised an eyebrow at him.

Lance sighed. "I'm going to try to talk to her again tomorrow."

Both boys climbed into their respective bunks, and Ethan switched off the lamp. It was cramped as hell for the dragon tamer. Were these beds made for middle schoolers or something?

"I just got an idea, Lancelot!" Ethan exclaimed a moment later in the darkness.

"...'Lancelot'?"

"How handy are you in the kitchen? Please tell me you're handy in the kitchen."

"People have told me I'm a good cook."

"Great. Why don't you deliver food to Lyra tomorrow morning? And offer to cook a meal for her! She won't be able to turn you away then."

Lance could hear the big grin in Ethan's excited voice. "I thought that saying about cooking to a man's heart only applied to... men?"

"Some girls like eating too, and I know that Lyra's one of them. It's the perfect chance to try talking to her again!" Ethan said conspiratorially.

Lance wasn't really looking forward to talking to her again. It didn't take rocket science to figure out that she was unreasonable, flippant and could be downright rude when given the chance.

But he'd made a promise to Bruno that he'd look after his protegee and bring her to the Elite Four, if he was capable. And damn right he was capable. He's Lance the Dragon Master. He may have had the title of Champion handed to him on a silver platter but the rest of his life wasn't as easy.


	2. Ignored

**A/N:** I do not own Pokemon.

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><p><strong>To Become A Dragon - II<strong>

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><p>Early the next morning, both boys woke up to the sound of heavy rain. It was no thunderstorm, but it was dreary enough to make the citizens of New Bark stay indoors.<p>

"Are you going to be okay? Delivering food to her in this weather, I mean. You can just wait until tomorrow."

Ethan had finished stuffing a huge laundry basket made of straw. It was jam packed with fruits, vegetables and frozen meat, covered with a heavy rubber tarp to protect it from the rain. Lance had helped him. The dragon master was insistent on visiting Lyra again today no matter what. At first, Ethan wasn't worried because he'd assumed that Lance was going to teleport or fly to Lyra's house with one of his pokemon, but then Lance corrected him by saying he was traveling on foot.

"I know it was my idea in the first place but it's dangerous to travel on foot," Ethan pointed out. "The paths should be heavily flooded and muddy, too."

"Rain or shine, I have to convince her to come to the Pokemon League with me. And I don't want to waste time." Lance put on the plastic raincoat that was offered to him and slipped his arms through the straps attached to the basket so he was wearing it like a backpack. "Wish me luck."

In the next minute, Lance was out the door. Ethan watched him go until he was swallowed up completely by the fog and rain.

"...Is he going to be alright?" He wondered.

After a moment, Ethan chuckled.

"Lyra's stubborn as hell, but that Lance is pretty hard headed too. I almost wish I could watch them interact."

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><p>Lance thought he was prepared for anything in this place. What could happen to him in the outskirts of a quiet little town, right?<p>

He was wrong.

Yesterday it was easy to navigate his way through the trees, and it was thanks to the small man-made path the locals had helpfully pointed out for him. But right now all he could see was rushing water. Muddy water that could knock him over and sweep him away if he weren't careful. The heavy fog blanketing the area wasn't really helping either.

It might have been easier if he got Dragonite to fly him over the forest; there was no lightning to worry about, too. But Lance was still kind of sore from his encounter with Lyra from yesterday. Getting kicked out of her little home, getting treated so disrespectfully, too! The more time passed, the more annoyed Lance got. There was no way in hell would he use his strongest pokemon just to reach her home. She wasn't worth getting his trusted partner soaked in the freezing rain for, not until she was off her high horse!

After what seemed like hours of clinging onto tree trunks for balance, wading through dirty knee-deep water and getting lost in the fog, Lance finally spotted Lyra's tiny house.

Why in Lugia's name would she live all the way out here in the middle of nowhere like a hermit? Is it another quirk artists had? Or was it for the sake of the mystique? Champion Wallace from Hoenn had his villa built on a small island right off the coast, and the area was infamous for the heavy thunderstorms. He called it dramatic and mysterious. His other friend Steven Stone called it cost-inefficient because the villa had to be constantly repaired, and Lance couldn't agree with him more.

Lance gave the front door three sharp knocks. As he stood there, waiting in the rain, he suddenly thought that Lyra might actually leave him out here. From what he'd seen of her yesterday, she seemed perfectly capable of such a thoughtless, selfish move.

These negative thoughts vanished however when the door was pulled wide open, and Lyra stood there blinking in surprise.

...She didn't _appear_ hostile, at least.

Lance was about to say something to her, but then stopped. Because when you really think about it, it's weird to just drop in again uninvited, even with the whole 'I'm-delivering-your-food' pretext.

"I'm delivering food," he said eventually. The silence was becoming rather awkward, and he needed to break it. It was part of the truth, anyways.

"...In this weather?" Lyra said slowly.

"Yes."

"You're so reckless."

She was putting him down with her words once again. Although for some reason, it didn't really sound that way. Lance knew that girls in general sometimes said one thing and meant another, was this one of those messages that needed decoding? Was Lyra even like that? But before he could think about it she stepped back, indicating that he could enter.

Lance quickly stepped inside before she could consider leaving him in the rain.

"Wait here."

Lyra shut the door and left him with these simple words, disappearing deeper into her home.

The dragon master sighed. He hated it, but he would have to take special care not to get booted today because he was _definitely_ not planning on going back outside in this weather any time soon.

To his surprise, when Lyra finally returned she had a towel in her arms. This was way better hospitality than he expected out of her at this point.

Lance eased the heavy basket off his back, letting it rest near the entrance. He hung the raincoat he'd borrowed from Ethan on a hook near the door and accepted the fluffy brown towel she held out to him with a small smile. "Thank you." Now that he had the towel he could feel how chilled he was from the rain outside.

"The bathroom is right here." Lyra walked away from him, rapping on a door that she passed. Once again, she disappeared deeper inside her home.

The dragon master didn't move despite just given permission to. What, no snarky comment along the lines of _'no dripping all over my floor'_? He was surprised yet again. Maybe he should give her a little more credit.

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><p>Some time later Lance ended up in Lyra's cramped kitchen, trying to figure out what to cook for lunch with what ingredients she already had and what he brought with him. Lyra herself was sitting next to the window, reading a book under the light of a desk lamp. She hadn't said a word to him since he finished cleaning himself in the bathroom, and Lance didn't think it was the right time to bring up the League.<p>

The only reason why he was moving about the kitchen was because he had no idea what to do to pass the time. Lance had already attempted small talk, but she didn't seem invested in the words they exchanged, and he'd eventually run out of mundane topics.

Lance briefly recalled how eager she was to speak to him yesterday. How much she wanted to hear about his pokemon journey, his life as a trainer. And then she unceremoniously showed him out the door when he showed disinterest in that conversation.

Today, she was just...quiet. It was a bit unnerving. But Lance refused to bring his past up just to get her attention. He didn't want to talk about it, period.

If he allowed himself to reminiscence it would only remind him of how much of a failure he is.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. This is probably the 10th time he has done this. Lyra was completely absorbed in her book and wasn't paying him any mind. She wasn't being outright rude, but she wasn't giving him any avenue of conversation to pursue. It was still raining heavily outside so he couldn't go out for some light training with Dragonite. And the signal connection was so bad he couldn't call or text anyone with his pokenav.

"Miss Lyra?" It was time to stop pretending to think about the lunch menu. Lance called the artist's name until she finally looked up. "Miss Lyra, would you mind if I took a quick look around your home? I don't mean to intrude. I'm curious about the way you live."

It has almost been an hour since he last tried to speak to her, and his voice sounded startlingly loud even to his own ears.

Lyra regarded him for a few seconds.

"None of the doors in my home are locked."

She went back to her book.

That had to be a yes. It was good enough for him. He'll take it. So Lance gathered up his resolve, turned around and marched himself into the closest room. The sight of the huge double bed, the television and the large wooden dresser made him stop right in his tracks. He walked right into her bedroom, didn't he? He just walked right into a single woman's bedroom. Intruding in a woman's privacy.

Lance stood frozen right where he was for a couple of seconds, half petrified and half ashamed. He'd been raised in a very traditional family, and although he considered himself more relaxed than his fellow clan members, right now his in-grained sensibilities had him in a choke hold. Hell, he could practically hear his mother scolding him.

Finally the moment passed, and his curiosity got the better of him. He convinced himself that as long as he looked but didn't touch he would be okay. Lance began slowly walking around what appeared to be the largest room in the house, taking in the abstract paintings of nature on the walls and the metal statue of a Rapidash in the corner, mane flying. That statue was very impressive, did Lyra make that herself?

This train of thought faded away as his eyes darted to the huge double bed, unbidden.

"..."

Did Lyra have a lover?

Lance jerked his gaze somewhere else before he could continue that line of thought. He spotted a DVD player under the television. Under the night table next to the... bed... was a small CD collection in a shoebox. Lance's eyebrows quirked. He never pegged Lyra as a movie buff. He never expected her to have modern technology in this house, actually.

The dragon master decided it was safe enough to look at her collection of CDs so he squatted down and pulled out the entire box. He chose one at random and pulled it out to read the cover. And he was once again surprised.

"What... what is this?"

The label was a simple phrase written with a permanent black marker on a white sticker.

**_'Lance Gains the Title of Champion'_**.

It was a video about him?

Lance put it down on the bed and started scanning the covers of the other CD jackets. To his growing confusion, nearly half of the contents of the shoebox were videos of...him. They were given similar point-blank names like **_'Lance Hailed as Youngest Elite Four Ever'_** or **_'Lance Attains Winning Streak of 100'_**. The other videos were of other popular trainers in the region, but they weren't nearly as many as the ones dedicated to him.

"Would you like to watch one?"

Lance jerked his head up at the sound of Lyra's voice. She was standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame. Lyra was watching him with rapt interest. Just how long had she been spying on him?

"It's still a little early for lunch. We can watch a video," She repeated, walking into the bedroom casually. She pointed at the CD he'd left on top of the bed, the one that said **_'Lance Gains the Title of Champion'_**.

"This is the very last video recording I have of you," Lyra told him, suddenly talkative. "After that, I just didn't have the heart to record anymore."

Lance stood up and faced her.

"Why... do you have recordings of me?"

Lyra clapped her hands together and smiled brightly, stunning Lance.

"You inspire me."

"What?"

"In your earlier days as a trainer, watching you battle inspired me to create. To paint, to draw... my master would even speak at great length about you and your exploits as an Elite Four member while I trained under him."

"Your master... you mean, Bruno? He told you stories about me?" Lance was still utterly confused. And the idea of Bruno being talkative was kind of shocking in itself.

"Yes."

Lyra's smile suddenly dropped away, and her face looked oddly contemplative.

"...You're nothing like he says."

The conversation came to a grinding halt. Lance didn't know what to say, and Lyra didn't seem interested in talking about this anymore. But Lance just couldn't let this go that easily, so he strained himself for another question to ask.

"Why do I inspire you?"

Lyra leaned down, popped the CD onto the disc tray and loaded it into the player. She then grabbed a remote from her night table and crawled onto her double bed, trying to get comfortable. Lance couldn't tear his gaze away from her for some reason. When she didn't reply immediately, he thought she was ignoring her so he opened his mouth to repeat his question but she beat him to it.

"Your fighting spirit back then was irresistible."

The television was turned on, and in seconds the recorded video had begun to play. Lance didn't think he could stand to relive the day he became Champion, so he carefully returned the shoebox to where he got it and quit the bedroom.


End file.
